A new Maine television ad by opponents of a marriage restoration amendment has been criticized for using a self-identified Catholic mother to promote homosexual “marriage.” Catholicvoteaction.org says the ad is “lying” about the Catholic Church.

In an ad produced by the group Protect Maine Equality, Yolande Dumont of Lewiston is shown talking about her son, his homosexual partner and her grandson, who are also shown in the ad.

“I’ve been a Catholic all my life, my faith means a lot to me,” she tells viewers. “Marriage to me is a great institution that works and that’s what I want for my children too.”

The Chicago-based organization CatholicVoteAction.org characterized the ad as “shameless.”

The group’s president, Brian Burch, charged that homosexual groups have lost the battle to make the Catholic Church accept “skewed views” on human sexuality and marriage. However, he said, they are now making a “desperate and despicable attempt” to sway Catholics by pretending that the Catholic faith supports their agenda.

“Gay marriage groups have lost virtually every ballot question put before the people for a vote, including a major defeat in California last November,” Burch added. “They are no longer content to defend their radical beliefs on their own, and instead have stooped to lying about the Catholic Church and its teachings, proof that gay activists will stop at nothing to promote their agenda.”

He characterized the ad as suggesting that the Catholic Church does not support the traditionally recognized nature of marriage, calling it “disingenuous, dishonest, and an insult to the intelligence of Catholic voters in Maine.”

“Everybody knows the Catholic Church is opposed to counterfeit marriages,” Burch continued. “The Church defends marriage as a civic institution believing marriage and family to be the fundamental unit of society.”

Burch called on Protect Maine Equality to pull the ad from the airwaves and from YouTube.

This November’s Maine ballot will include Question 1, which would repeal the state legislature’s recent bill that would recognize registered homosexual unions as marriages.

Commenting just after the state legislature approved the recognition of same-sex “marriages” last May, Bishop of Portland Richard Malone said, “Same-sex marriage is a dangerous sociological experiment that I believe will have negative consequences for society as a whole.

“Children will be taught in schools that same-sex marriage and traditional marriage are simply different expressions of the same thing, and that the logical and consistent understanding that marriage and reproduction are intrinsically linked is no longer valid. These are profound changes that will reverberate throughout society with tragic consequences,” he warned.